With 10 seconds left in the game, the 1,076 fans gathered at the U-Hall Turf Field for the men's lacrosse season opener were confident that Virginia's one goal lead would be enough to win -- they were wrong. By the time the final buzzer sounded, Drexel freshman Colin Ambler scored two goals and the Dragons defeated the Cavaliers 11-10.
"There was a sense of momentum about what was going on at the end," Virginia coach Dom Starsia said. "Drexel was picking up every ball, catching every pass and making the plays we had been earlier in the game. Towards the end, they made the plays that won them the game."
The Dragons' win snaps Virginia's 19-game home winning streak and marks Drexel's first victory over the Cavaliers. They have met a total of six times -- this is the fifth year the teams have faced off in their season openers. While there certainly must be a first time for everything, junior attackman Ben Rubeor said Drexel's win was a direct result of the way Virginia played.
"We made a lot of mental mistakes and more than anything else, I don't think we were totally there with the thinking part of the game," Rubeor said. "They came out in the second half with more energy and that's something that our whole team needs to work on -- we need to come out with energy for the entire game."
That said, the loss is certainly not a reflection of Rubeor's individual play. Spearheading the Cavalier attack with four goals and four assists, he once again demonstrated why he is considered one of the leading offensive players in the country.
Alongside Rubeor, Danny Gladding tirelessly pressured the Dragon goal and finished the day with two goals and one assist. Despite such stand out performances and the fact that the Cavaliers tallied a considerable number of points, Starsia sees considerable room for improvement on the attack.
"Overall there wasn't a lot that I liked today," Starsia said. "I thought we had our moments and that our attack had a lot of points but I don't think that they were particularly sharp -- too many turnovers, too many missed opportunities. And those are the kinds of things that kill you in the end."
Senior goalie Kip Turner and his defensive squad also struggled, especially during quick field transitions. Drexel's tying goal was scored off a pick play. As Turner described, Virginia players lost some of their marks and allowed Ambler to sneak in behind and get an easy layup goal. Seven seconds later, Drexel freshman Zak Fisher once again fed Ambler the ball, this time for the game-winner.
"They were both good shots," Turner said. "I should be able to save shots from about 12 and out like that, but I didn't do that today."
Following the loss, thoughts of Virginia's disappointing 2004 season crossed many people's minds, including Starsia's. This week's task will be to prevent the upset from putting the team into a tailspin and instead, to harness its potential as a motivating force.
"We'll have to work real hard to take the lessons here and apply them to the next situation," Starsia said. "Like we've always said, we just need to be ready to go each and every time and it makes it even more important for us to come back and be ready for the next game, the trip to Stony Brook [New York]."
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